Incessant Expressions

Phew! So busy!

May 10th, 2010 • chatter • 1 comment

So, the site’s been stale for a few weeks now and that’s my fault. I’ve all but had to stop my Project 365 photography project as I’m actually a working shooter now, photographing concerts. It’s something I had envisioned doing a few years ago when I set up Band Names Not Brand Names but never got around to doing. Since my last post, I have photographed over 15 different bands at a number of different shows. Most of these are local bands in various musical scenes but three of them are nationally/globally touring acts and I was extremely happy to both shoot and meet them. I’ve taken the last week off from shooting because I was sick and I was severely behind on editing. When you go from shooting 2-3 bands a week to shooting 14 in three days, you get backed up! I’ve still got about half of that to go since I was backed up before that but it’ll all be done this week.

In that time, I’ve also upgraded my standard shooting combo of my 35mm f/1.8G DX and 50mm f/1.8D to a single lens, the massive Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens. It’s heavy, it’s metal, and it’s extremely FAST. Effectively, my DX-based shooting kit is almost complete, all I need now is a fast telephoto and I’m done. The next step after that is an FX body purchase but that will be at least a year off, if not more. I’m putting lens purchases first as those will be most beneficial for now in both concert and fashion shooting. I managed to snap some very nice lightning shots with the lens and I think some of them are just fantastic. They’re from a localized cloud-to-cloud lightning (“heat lightning”) storm we had last Thursday. After taking this Weather & Climate class, I found the whole storm to be both astonishing in how it works and beautiful in execution.

A blaze in the Southern Sky – Photo of the Day #78

April 20th, 2010 • photography • 2 comments

Today, an RV randomly caught fire a few hundred yards from my apartment. It was odd because it had been sitting there for nearly an hour before it caught fire according to my girlfriend. I don’t think anyone was in it but it did burn for quite some time, it was nearly out when I shot this photo.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 18-108G DX f/3.5-5.6 @ f/16 @ 105mm (158mm equiv)
ISO200 @ 1/100s
Matrix metering
Sunny WB

It’s just so pretty – Photo of the Day #77

April 15th, 2010 • photography • 1 comment

This is the Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G ED that I’m shooting with tonight. It’s beautiful and HEAVY. It’s currently mounted on a spare D90 body. It just looks so nice.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 @ f/9
ISO800 @ 0.6s
Matrix metering
Auto WB

What a fine Friday

April 9th, 2010 • chatter • 1 comment

It’s the weekend and it’s another busy one. Got some hanging out to do tonight, a concert to shoot tomorrow night, museum outing tomorrow afternoon, and something on Sunday which I can’t recall. I need it after the exams this week, we’re on the home stretch for this semester. I’m registered for more core classes next semester and am looking for summer classes.

Sorry for the recent lack of posts, school has gotten in the way with my shooting and updating. I hope to find smell fun shots this weekend, maybe we’ll go to the beach. But right now I’ve got to get back to work!

Am I being obtuse? – Photo of the Day #76

April 8th, 2010 • photography • 1 comment

A fantasic outside shot of the southside of the Adrienne Arsht Performing Arts Center in Miami, FL. We went there last night to a Johnnie Walker Tasting Experience to sampe their fine line of blended scotches. It was a great mixer and a fun time while enjoying some fine scotch, definitely looking forward to this again.

I love the juxtaposition of the very angled architecture of the Arsht Center with a typical Miami business skyscraper behind it. The stark white color offset by a backgrounded neon white/blue gives this fantastic feel of opulent versus spartan.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 @ f/4.5
ISO800 @ 1/20s
Matrix metering
UniWB

One fine night – Photo of the Day #75

March 31st, 2010 • photography • 3 comments

This is my first successful capture of the moon that I’ve ever gotten with my D90. It’s also the first picture I’ve ever really had to post process. I changed the tone curve to help bring out more of the shadows naturally apparent on the Moon but were still a bit blown out by the light from the Sun. I’m so pleased I finally got one of these, I’ve been trying for months but the Moon was extra bright tonight with helped suppress light pollution.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED DX @ 200mm f/11
ISO200 @ 1/100s
Spot metering
UniWB

A broken hope – Photo of the Day #74

March 30th, 2010 • photography • 1 comment

I was walking around the golf course tonight when I stumbled upon this shattered glass. I have no idea what it was, didn’t look like a bottle. But the first thing I thought was “Hm, how am I going to light this properly?” Since I had my SB-600 and lightstand with me, I just threw on a 1/1 CTB gel and started shooting. This was my favorite shot of the broken glass. Since I was using UniWB, the generated JPG was a little pinkish but the NEF had just that right touch of blue.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX @ f/5.6
ISO800 @ 1/30s
Matrix metering
UniWB

Strobist:
SB-600 approximately 4ft from glass, aimed at 0deg, umbrella head pointing down slightly
1/8 power
Rosco 1/1 “Full Blue” CTB gel

This is why I love Florida – Photo of the Day #73

March 28th, 2010 • photography • 1 comment

This was one of my final pictures today and it was a gorgeous sunset. Although you can’t tell, I’m barrelling down the road at 65MPH on my motorcycle. This and the picture I took after it were absolutely lucky snaps. When I took this, camera settings were absolutely irrelevant.

And I freaking love them. This is why I love Florida.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX @ f/11
ISO200 @ 1/1250s
Matrix metering
Auto WB A2

Three’s company – Photo of the Day #72

March 27th, 2010 • photography • 1 comment

A nice little collection of palm and another tree that I can’t name. Took this right by our apartment while on a walk-about last night. The way the tress were both backlit from the apartment complex behind them and frontlit by the street light was just amazing looking. This picture was the result of probably 20 or 25 different exposures, all with different settings and positions. It was hard to hand hold this because it kept coming out blurry OR the white light on the left was causing a lens flare, neither of which I wanted obviously. But I’m very pleased with how this turned out.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX @ f/2.8
ISO800 @ 1.6s -0.3 EV
Center weighted metering
Tungsten WB A1

I see a face in the trees – Photo of the Day #71

March 25th, 2010 • photography • 1 comment

This looked a lot more artsy in my head and could have probably turned out that way with a tripod. That is, until I looked at it full screen and saw the white light in the bottom right making what looks like the side of a face, so I thought that was pretty dang neat.

Nikon D90
Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX @ f/2.8
ISO800 @ 1/40s
Matrix metering
Tungsten WB